


picking stars from the sky

by wonhaosalts



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: (or is it), Friends to Lovers, M/M, One-sided feelings, basically how their relationship develops and somewhat falls apart as they grow up, homophobia from some of the characters, somewhat angst with a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:19:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7644295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonhaosalts/pseuds/wonhaosalts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'll protect you," Minghao said firmly, and when Junhui looked up to glance at him he repeated himself. “I’ll protect you forever."</p><p>Junhui patted his shoulder gently, like he was telling him to give up the thought. "Forever's a long time."</p><p>"It won't matter as long as we're together forever, right?" Minghao said. It was unexpectedly innocent, and Junhui fell silent. </p><p>"I guess not.”</p><p>But things change when they grow up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	picking stars from the sky

**Author's Note:**

> IMPT THINGS to note !!!
> 
> 1\. in this story, minghao and junhui are both in korea throughout the entire story, but they’re still chinese!  
> 2\. it got way longer than i expected it to be (gosh i’m sorry for this 10k of spam) but i really wanted to focus on the different aspects of junhao’s relationships (as you’ll see, progresses later) as well as minghao’s other friendships  
> 3\. INSPIRATION TAKEN FROM THIS GEM: https://twitter.com/mingaho/status/759469922284175360 oh my god bully seokmin and thughao killed my heart
> 
> hope you enjoy it !!

_I._

 

Minghao turned 8 when Junhui was 9, and the world was a brighter place when they spent their time together. 

 

They first met at a playground, often the starting ground for many childhood friendships. Junhui had been getting bullied by a group of jerks for being the only Chinese in their group of Koreans, and Minghao had stepped in to stand up him. 

 

Despite being younger, Minghao was trained in martial arts, and even managed to give the mean kids a few kicks square in the face. They had fled like startled prey, swearing that they would be back for revenge. Minghao knew they wouldn’t come back so soon; even the mightiest people could crumble under sudden pressure.

 

He turned his attention back to the dark haired boy who was sat on the ground, and Minghao stretched his hand out to him. 

 

"You really didn't have to do that, but thank you," Junhui said, pulling himself up with Minghao's hand and dusting his shorts off. 

 

"It was only right, and you're welcome!" Minghao exclaimed, grinning happily. 

 

"I'm already used to it, anyway," Junhui muttered, looking away quietly. 

 

Minghao wondered why a boy around his age would be used to getting bullied, but opted not to hear him at all. He widened his smile, and stuck his hand out once more. 

 

"I'm Minghao! Let's be friends," the shorter boy offered. 

 

Junhui smiled, just barely. His small, slender fingers captured Minghao's hand in his and he shook it slowly. 

 

"I'm Junhui."

 

And cliché as it sounded, that was how both of them became friends. Since both of them frequented the same playground, the two often hung out together. 

 

In between the sessions of hide and seek and catching, Minghao shared about dreams to become a famous break dancer,and Junhui expressed his own interest in becoming an actor. Playing pretend was a little bit different for them; instead of acting as knights like the other children did, they often pretended to be like their grown up selves. 

 

Soon after, they became inseparable. 

 

But childhood wasn't like living through a dream. The mean kids did come back eventually to hurt Junhui again, but this time Minghao was beside him to fend them off. When he watched as they ran off without laying a finger on Junhui, Minghao had never felt more proud to know self defence. 

 

"You know, when dealing with jerks like them, you should just stand your ground, and never show them that they affect you," Minghao mentioned after that incident, as both of them sat atop the monkey bars and swung their legs in sync. 

 

Junhui let out a laugh so sad that Minghao's smile instantly fell. “I wish I could do that." He stared away, a sign that meant he didn't want to breach the subject. “I'm not strong enough to do that myself." 

 

Those words struck Minghao deep in his heart, and he was overcome with a strange urge to stay by Junhui and shelter him from anything that tried to harm him. It was a childish endeavour, but Minghao made a promise. 

 

"I'll protect you," Minghao said firmly, and when Junhui looked up to glance at him he repeated himself. “I’ll protect you forever."

 

Junhui patted his shoulder gently, like he was telling him to give up the thought. "Forever's a long time."

 

"It won't matter as long as we're together forever, right?" Minghao said. It was unexpectedly innocent, and Junhui fell silent. 

 

"I guess not," Junhui replied after a while, and for the first time, Minghao saw a genuine smile blossom across his face. The crinkles by his eyes, the soft curve of his lips, and the way his hair swept over his eyes. “It’s a promise, then.”

 

Minghao took it all in, and made another promise that day to make Junhui smile like that for as many times as he could. 

 

_II._

 

Minghao turned 12 when Junhui was 13, and the world started to look a little bit different.

 

The bullies stop approaching Junhui, and Minghao felt immense relief. He wasn't sure if it was just his presence that was scaring them off, or if Junhui had stood up to them enough, but just to be safe Minghao kept Junhui near him at close proximity.

 

Minghao felt like he was Junhui's personal bodyguard, but it wasn't like he’d minded. He had made a promise after all, and he swore he'd do anything to make him smile. 

 

It had gotten a bit more difficult to hang out with Junhui since both of them were in separate schools— Minghao still in elementary, and Junhui in middle school — but they managed just fine. They were equally close as before, if not even closer through all the adversities they had faced side by side. To Minghao, nothing had changed. 

 

But they were studying in the library one day when Junhui spoke of a foreign topic, and Minghao started to wonder if they're not like they were when they were younger. 

 

"Hey, Minghao, look," Junhui spoke softly. 

 

"At what?" Minghao turned to face the direction that Junhui was looking at. 

 

"That girl." Junhui tried to point discreetly. "You know, that one with the long hair and black glasses?" 

 

Minghao spotted her from across the library. She was fairly tall and skinny, and had long bangs. "Uh huh? what about her?"

 

"She's in my class, and I really like her. Do you think I should... I don't know, confess?" Junhui asked, fiddling with his hands shyly. 

 

Minghao stared. "You like girls?"

 

Junhui stared back. "Who else would I like?" 

 

Minghao sighed at the misunderstanding. "No, I mean— didn’t you use to think girls were... gross?"

 

Junhui shrugged, resting his head on his palm as he glanced over at the girl he'd pointed out. "That was when we were, like, 9. I think they're really pretty now, especially when they have long hair."

 

Minghao felt confused. He looked over at the girl too, but he didn't really feel anything for her. She wasn't as pretty as Junhui had made her out to be, but was it normal to not feel that way? She was just a tiny bit cute, he guessed, but not much. 

 

"Don't you think she's attractive?" Junhui asked. 

 

Minghao shook his head slowly. "She's not super pretty, but I guess she's okay."

 

Junhui looked at him as if he'd just committed a mortal sin, then laughed it off. "Alright," he said, gently fluffing Minghao's hair. "Maybe she's not your type."

 

Minghao looked away at that. Junhui sounded so much more mature and headstrong, unlike when they were younger. Maybe it was time for him to grow up too, then perhaps he could be on the same level as Junhui, and continue to protect him like he always did. 

 

Junhui seemed to realise what Minghao was brooding over, and patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry. Together forever, right?"

 

Minghao's eyes widened at that. "Yeah!" he promised, beaming widely. 

 

That night, Minghao's mother offered to trim his hair, which had been getting just a bit too long and even surpassed his eyes.

 

"I'm fine," Minghao insisted. "I'll grow my bangs out." 

 

_III._

 

Minghao turned 15 when Junhui was 16, and life got a little lonely.

 

Ever since they'd joined middle school, Junhui had been constantly caught up in romancing girls. It wasn't surprising to Minghao, since he'd always thought Junhui was handsome enough to be that Prince Charming for tens of girls. 

 

From the small timid boy with delicate features, Junhui's looks had changed upon entering middle school, and he was like a model now with his striking eyes, chiseled cheekbones and perfectly swept hair. Not to mention, his wide smile made all the girls swoon. Minghao felt secretly disappointed that it wasn't him who was causing those smiles anymore, but he moved on. 

 

Whenever Minghao walked past Junhui's class, he would see him swarmed with girls, but still managed to put up a cool front before all of them. 

 

Minghao didn't mind that Junhui was getting attention from other girls. but he did mind the fact that Junhui was spending less time hanging out with him, and instead going out on dates with different girls every single day. Minghao didn't understand how dating could take priority over something that Junhui used to enjoy doing so much, like martial arts or dance to himself.

 

_Maybe we're just different now,_ Minghao thought for a fleeting second, but refused to accept it. _No, we promised we'd be together forever, and childish as it sounds, we'll definitely keep it._

 

But Minghao's dreaded suspicions came true the day that Junhui had finally agreed to hang out with him instead of those stupid girls. 

 

"Ge, remember how you used to talk about how you wanted to learn how to dance?" Minghao asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement. 

 

“I guess, why?" Junhui replied, but his eyes were on his phone. Minghao resisted the urge to swat it out of his hands, but he knew that Junhui was probably texting his new girlfriend or something.

 

"I recently joined a dance group with a couple of really cool friends. You should come along too, it would be fun!" Minghao beamed, and rambled on. "Everyone's extremely nice, and we'll all help you get used to it—“ 

 

"Sorry, Hao, I've got no time," Junhui interrupted with a regretful look on his face, and Minghao's heart stopped momentarily. 

 

"Huh? but I thought—“ Minghao began, wondering why Junhui couldn't even spend time extra time with him anymore. 

 

"I'll have no time to spend with my girlfriend, y'know? It sounds really fun, though; you go ahead and enjoy yourself!" Junhui smiled, then returned to typing furiously on his phone. 

 

"Oh." Minghao's smile wavered, and sometimes he wondered how he could have stayed persistently cheerful for so long. But he had to be strong for Junhui, so that they could stand as equals, and he could protect the older boy forever like he said he would. 

 

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Junhui said, but he didn't sound very sorry to Minghao. 

 

"It's fine," Minghao assured, but it really wasn't fine at all. 

 

After that incident, both of them stopped hanging out with one another. Minghao was busy juggling his studies along with dance practices and martial arts, while Junhui was caught up in a spiral of dating. And just like that, Junhui graduated from middle school without saying much to Minghao. 

 

Occasional texts were sent, but their conversations were nothing more than "Hi"s and "What's up"s that ended in less than a few minutes, and Minghao could see the string that held their friendship in place start to fray, ever so slowly. 

 

Middle school was strangely lonely without Junhui around anymore. It wasn't like they had hung out a lot while he was still in their school, but the thought that he wouldn't see Junhui anymore in the corridors or in his class haunted Minghao. He'd never realised how attached and dependant he was on the older boy until now, but Junhui probably didn't need him anymore. 

 

Junhui still came over for family dinners now and then, but Minghao felt like they wouldn't stay together after all, especially when the laughter and playful arguments between them that used to fill the room was now taken over by silence and the clicking noise of a phone keyboard. 

 

_IV._

 

Minghao turned 17 when Junhui was 18, and suddenly the pretty boy he used to protect with all his heart disappeared. 

 

Minghao had studied for the sake of entering the same high school as Junhui, with the foolish thought that once they were together again, everything would go back to the way it had been when they were younger. 

 

Close friends, always together, and no stupid girls to ruin their plans. 

 

But life had something against humans and their hopeful hearts, because Junhui had changed since the last time Minghao talked to him, and he was no longer the boy that Minghao played with when he was 8, nor the boy that Minghao had admired when he was 13.

 

And Minghao had come to terms with that, regardless of how unwilling he had been. 

 

Junhui's new clique of friends were jerks, and acted like they were always above all the other boys in the campus. Even so, girls flocked and swarmed to them, screaming when one of them would even look their way. 

 

_Must be Junhui's dream come true,_ Minghao thought as he stared at the group from afar, shutting his locker door slowly. _He won't have to go a second without dating._

 

He still respected the older boy since they had been really close childhood friends, and he still felt that underlying urge to spring up and shield Junhui from everyone around him. However, Minghao knew it was going to be impossible to return to how it was before, especially since Junhui hadn't even acknowledged his presence since joining high school. 

 

It was an asshole move, Minghao recognised, since Junhui probably purposely ignored him to get the approval of his popular friends, but he had accepted it. People changed with the times, and Junhui happened to be one of the people who changed for power in the unbalanced hierarchy of school. He even dyed his hair a blonde colour that Minghao would not have expected from the tiny kid he used to protect years ago.

 

One of the reasons why Minghao had gotten over it so quickly was because of the new friends he had made in school, who were equally obsessed with dance and music and were all in the same dance club. He had found his people, and Minghao would rather have spent his time with them than blindly chasing after Junhui who wouldn't have even bat an eyelid at him. 

 

But as life was, Minghao found out that not everyone in the club had lives so pristine. Especially since they were gay. 

 

Minghao despised the labels and stigmas of society, but that was how it worked. One of his best friends, Mingyu, had been dating a senior called Wonwoo for the longest time ever, and he had been kicked out of the house upon coming out. Minghao's heart shattered instantly on hearing his story, but it quickly mended when Wonwoo assured him that they were staying together at his place, since his parents were LGBT-acceptive.

 

Meanwhile, the club leader called Soonyoung had been experiencing heartbreak from when his best friend and long time crush rejected him. Minghao recognised the boy as Seokmin, a boy his age who was as much of a playboy as Junhui was. He understood how Soonyoung felt, even though he wasn't in love with Junhui, so he opted to stay beside the dance choreographer in case he ever needed advice or a shoulder to cry on. 

 

Minghao also found it oddly innocent how the youngest of their group, Chan, had no problems except for the pileup of work, but that was to be expected. Though he was a few years younger, he still stayed as strong as he could for the rest of the club, and Minghao could see his 13 year old self reflected in the shorter boy. It was endearing, and Minghao found Chan to be the brother he never had.

 

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the way they were, and the passion they had for dance just burnt brighter. Everything was perfectly fine, until it was not. 

 

The group of misfits had been walking out of the school campus together, when suddenly the group that Minghao recognised as Junhui's clique approached them menacingly, with said childhood friend trailing behind.

 

"What the hell," Minghao muttered. He was in no mood to entertain them, but he would engraved a few shoe prints into their faces, if that was exactly what they needed. 

 

"Well, it's the group of gay dancers," their leader, a boy Minghao knew as Seungcheol, scoffed. 

 

Minghao's friends fell silent, all traces of smiles disappearing from their faces. Junhui's clique advanced closer, their lips all upturned in smirks. 

 

"You're dating him, aren't you?" Seungcheol said, turning to Mingyu and motioning towards Wonwoo. 

 

"Yeah, and so what?" Mingyu growled, holding out a protective arm in front of his boyfriend. 

 

"It's okay, Mingyu," Wonwoo assured quietly, but after spending countless hours together with him, Minghao could tell that beneath his calm exterior lay fear and panic. 

 

"I heard this one got rejected by his best friend," another boy called Seungkwan remarked, making the usually brave and outgoing Soonyoung unintentionally hide behind Minghao. 

 

"Shut up!" Chan yelled, stepping forward to protect his friends from the hurtful words that were looming over them. "You don't have any right to say that to them!"

 

An American boy laughed mockingly at that. "We can say what we like. You're probably a homo, too, huh?"

 

Chan’s defensive stance fell at that, his eyes wide. "I... I'm not..." 

 

Minghao had enough, and jumped forward to send a flying kick in the direction of the bullies, making them scatter. "Get lost! I'll call the principal if you don't," he threatened. 

 

"Ha, Jun's childhood friend," Seungcheol remarked, but he slowly retreated anyway. Minghao flinched at the nickname. "Don't think this is the last you'll see of us."

 

Minghao charged at them again, and they all scattered out of the school campus. Only Junhui stood at the side and watched on, a look of slight amusement on his face. 

 

Minghao had a lot of tolerance for Junhui for all the years that they had known each other, but this had crossed the line. He walked over to the older boy and glared at him as fiercely as he could. "You should have stood up for them."

 

Junhui glanced over at him. "Huh?"

 

_First thing he said in a year, and that was it?_ Minghao thought. It felt like mockery. "I said, you should have stood up for my friends. Your clique is full of jerks. Why do you even hang out with them for?"

 

Junhui's expression was unreadable, but he sounded like he was addressing a 5 year old. "I can hang out with whoever I want to, Minghao."

 

Minghao scoffed at that reply. Suddenly, he was glad that he was no longer hanging out with Junhui, if the boy he had dedicated his childhood to protecting turned out to be such a douche. "You're right," Minghao replied, rolling his eyes. "You're just as big of an asshole as they are; no wonder you go together."

 

“Minghao—" Junhui began. 

 

Said boy held up a hand. "Save it," Minghao said. "Going from being bullied to being the bully, huh? Real courageous of you there, Junhui." Honorifics didn't even matter anymore if there was no one to respect.

 

He turned and ran away to catch up with his friends, not bothering to stay and hear what Junhui had to say. Whatever it was, Minghao was sure that it was bullshit. He learnt that day that promises never lasted, as did friendship, and that Junhui wasn't worth his time anymore. 

 

"Hyungs, Mingyu, Chan; are you all alright?" Minghao asked as soon as he caught up with them, putting a comforting arm around Soonyoung. "Don't listen to them, okay? It's all rubbish, what they said."

 

"Don't worry, Minghao. We're fine," Mingyu assured, but the smile on his face didn't reach his eyes. Wonwoo nodded along with him, both of them stuck together like glue. 

 

"Hyung," Chan voiced out, and Minghao hummed in reply. "How can you always be so strong?" 

 

That was not anything that Minghao expected. He opened his mouth to answer, but it froze. 

 

"Huh?" he managed to get out. 

 

Chan swallowed, and his voice was very quiet. "I mean, you never seem to be affected by anything. How can you… ?" he trailed off. 

 

Minghao momentarily thought about his broken friendship with Junhui, the person he had cared for so much his whole life, and his voice wavered. "I'm not strong."

 

"Yes you are, Minghao," Soonyoung agreed. "You weren't ever bothered that we were... homos, or that those jerks dragged you down with us. Just... thank you for being here for us."

 

Minghao swallowed. "It's only right of me. And please don't say that about yourself, hyung."

 

“But, thank you," Wonwoo finally spoke, and his eyes were brimming with tears and gratitude. 

 

And for the first time in 9 years, Minghao allowed himself to cry in front of his friends. Amidst his tears and the hugs he received, Minghao realised that he had never ever shown Junhui his weak side. 

 

Why he had always stayed so strong, Minghao had long forgotten. 

 

_V._

 

Minghao turned 19 when Junhui was 20, and he learnt that love was unpredictable.

 

The years went on without saying a word to Junhui, and the dance club stayed strong together. The group of jerks that had once taunted them apologised eventually, explaining that they were going through their own issues themselves. Minghao said he forgave them, but he never meant it. Junhui left the group a few months after that incident, and Minghao wondered if what he said to him had played a part in that decision, but he never investigated further. 

 

They were not friends, after all. Just strangers.

 

When Soonyoung and Wonwoo graduated from high school, Mingyu, Chan and him were all invited to their graduation party to relive and treasure their last few moments together. Of course, that meant that Junhui was there too, since he was in the graduating batch as well. 

 

It was a weird feeling, and it came sudden. Minghao had been leaning against a pillar in the corner of the room, Mingyu next to him, both of them taking a break from dancing and just watching the rest of their friends go wild on the floor. 

 

From the corner of his eye, Minghao spotted a familiar figure and he turned, instantly regretting it. It was Junhui, who was chatting up a girl by the snack bowls. Somehow, seeing him after such a long time gave Minghao a sense of ease, but something else stirred in him as he watched his childhood friend get a little bit _too_ close to that girl. 

 

He had never felt this way before, all the way from middle school when Junhui had already started to date, so why now? 

 

"Hey," Minghao called out to Mingyu. 

 

"Hm?" the taller boy took a drink out of his punch cup. 

 

"Is it normal to be feeling ..." Minghao stared over at them. _What was the word?_ "... jealous? of that girl?" _Yes, that was probably it._

 

Mingyu followed the direction of Minghao's gaze, and he looked over at Junhui as well. "I guess."

 

"What do you think it means?" Minghao asked, his mind encased in a sea of conflicting thoughts. 

 

Mingyu shifted against the wall to face Minghao. "From my experience, there are two possibilities. Either you're jealous of the fact that he has a girlfriend and you don’t, or..."

 

"Or?" Minghao looked at him and prompted, seeing that his best friend had fallen silent. 

 

"Or you're in love with him."

 

As soon as the Chinese boy had processed Mingyu's words, he shook his head aggressively. "No, it can't be."

 

"Who says it can't?" Mingyu asked. 

 

"I just know it," Minghao said firmly. "I can't be in love with a jerk like him that ditched his friends for girls and popularity." 

 

"Listen, Hao," Mingyu began. "Love is like... a bad grade."

 

"A bad grade," Minghao deadpanned, repeating his words. 

 

“Yeah, now stop judging me.” Mingyu rolled his eyes, but continued anyway. “You don’t expect it, but then it hits you hard, and the feeling is indescribable.” 

 

“It’s not love,” Minghao said in disbelief.

 

“You don’t know,” Mingyu replied with a shrug, and Minghao wondered how he could talk about that so easily. Oh right— he had Wonwoo.

 

“Whatever.” Minghao shook his head. “It’s probably just the alcohol or something.”

 

He ignored Mingyu’s confused “There’s no alcohol here, though?” and treaded through the sea of people to find Soonyoung and Chan, intending to dance his weird feelings away.

 

A week after Junhui graduated, Minghao received a text from him. They hadn't spoken to each other since the bullying case the two years before, so Minghao was surprised when he came out of the shower to see his phone lit up with _One new message from Junhui-ge._

 

Minghao unlocked his phone slowly and his eyes scanned across the message. 

 

_Junhui-ge: Hey. I know it's been a while since we've talked, but do you want to hang out if you're free?_

 

Minghao tossed his phone onto his bed and went to complete his due essay, not bothering to reply. 

 

Three months later, another text came. Minghao had seen Junhui visit the campus once in a while, each time with a new girl clinging onto his arm, but never dared to go up and talk to him. But it wasn't like Junhui ever approached him, either. Minghao didn't know what job he had, or where he was living now that he had moved out of his old home (he found that out from his mother, who was deeply concerned about what happened to their close friendship), but Minghao didn't bother asking. There was no point, since they didn't even talk at all. 

 

Minghao switched on his phone just as he got out of his examination hall, trying to see if Mingyu had contacted him on where his friends were hanging out, when he spotted the notification.

 

Frowning slightly, he clicked on it, albeit a little cautiously. 

 

_Junhui-ge: Hey, this is random but... let's hang out sometime, okay?_

 

Minghao ignored it and dialled Mingyu's number.

 

The next time he received a text was yet another four months later, on his birthday. Minghao managed to sneak out halfway from his friends just to check his phone for a quick moment, and halted at the new notification. He clicked on it with apprehension. Why was he still bothering to send messages when he didn't get any replies at all? 

 

_Junhui-ge: Happy Birthday! I'm sorry I couldn't spend it with you. Let's catch up sometime?_

 

Minghao almost hurled his phone across the room, but instead turned it off and returned back to the party. 

 

After that, no more messages came. A month passed, and Minghao was walking through the campus to get to their dance studio for practice when he spotted Junhui by the large fountain in the middle of their school. As usual, he wasn't alone, and was accompanied by a new girl. 

 

Minghao rolled his eyes and walked on, but the sharp echo of a slap pierced the tranquil silence of the school. He turned to stare at the couple silently, and saw that Junhui was holding his face in shock as the girl dashed off without him. 

 

It occured to him that this had been the first time that he had ever seen Junhui break up with his girlfriend, despite him having dated so many people. Before his brain could logically persuade his heart not to do so, Minghao walked over to Junhui. 

 

“Junhui…ge,” he greeted quietly. 

 

The older boy looked up like a deer in the headlights. "...oh, Minghao." he paused, letting the gush of water from the fountain overtake his words for a moment. "You saw that?" 

 

Minghao nodded, eyes on Junhui's reddening cheek. 

 

Junhui chuckled in a low voice. "I should probably talk to them in private next time."

 

"What... happened?" Minghao asked hesitantly. 

 

"I don't know," Junhui admitted, sounding tired. "She said she felt like it wasn't working out between us. It really sucks, I thought she was the one." He smiled sadly, and Minghao was reminded of their younger days momentarily.

 

"I'm sorry," Minghao said, not knowing what else he could do. 

 

"It's fine. I just don't understand why I can't seem to stay with one person," Junhui said, his voice shaky, and Minghao looked up to see sparkling tears welling up in his eyes. 

 

It was like ignoring each other for 2 years didn't matter anymore, or the fact that Junhui had been a jerk all this time, but Minghao instinctively leapt forward and engulfed Junhui in a tight, warm hug. They stayed there for a long time in silence, and Minghao felt his shoulder get wet, but chose not to comment. 

 

"This is nice," Junhui finally spoke, his voice muffled. 

 

"Huh?" Minghao pulled back for a moment and stared at the older boy. 

 

"It's just... been a long time since we've talked like this. I've missed your company a lot," Junhui muttered, wiping his eyes with the back of a hand while his face turned red, and it wasn't because of the slap.

 

It was just as Mingyu said, but it hit Minghao even quicker than lightning, and more startling than thunder. As Minghao stood in front of Junhui for the first time in 2 years, he finally understood that he had been in love with him all along. He let out a soft, inaudible "oh", as he gazed up at his childhood friend before him, and somehow Junhui seemed more handsome than before. Minghao felt the urge to scoop him up in a hug again to stop his tears, but resisted it— barely. 

 

"Can we... hang out sometime?" Junhui asked slowly. 

 

"Okay," Minghao said, his brain still muddled from the influx of his new feelings.

 

He quickly departed, telling Junhui that he had somewhere to be — which he did, because he was late for dance practice and Soonyoung was not going to be happy. It wasn't like Minghao wanted to leave him, but he also needed to fully accept and understand his feelings for the older boy. 

 

"What is love?" Minghao echoed later, while they were all taking a break from their non-stop dancing.

 

Chan sidled closer to him and looked up with interest. "What's this, hyung? You like someone?”

 

“No,” Minghao lied, ignoring Mingyu’s knowing gaze on him from their conversation back at the graduation party. “I’m just wondering.”

 

“To me, love is accepting everything about the one you like, and always wanting to protect them from the world,” Mingyu said with a soppy smile on his face, most probably thinking about Wonwoo.

 

But it was relatable, right? Minghao had always had tendencies to want to shield Junhui from all the evil in the world, and even though Junhui had been a playboy of a jerk he still liked him a lot.

 

Soonyoung coughed. “Love is… still being able to let the person you like go for their own interests, even though you can’t stand it if they left your side.” He looked away sadly, and Minghao knew he was talking about Seokmin. 

 

“Well,” Chan said, shrugging. “I don’t know much about love, but everyone has their own perceptions on it, hyung. It’s up to you, anyway.”

 

That night, Minghao’s phone lit up and he peeked over to find _One new message from Junhui-ge._ Instinctively, he unlocked it.

 

_Junhui-ge: So… are you free to hang out next week?_

 

Minghao smiled to himself, and typed out his reply. Out of nowhere, a vision of Junhui laughing with a girl and a satisfied smile on his face played in Minghao’s brain, and his fingers froze.

 

The words ‘ _Tuesday’s fine._ ’ slowly disappeared with repeated presses on the backspace button, and Minghao tossed his phone aside for the night. 

 

_VI._

 

Minghao turned 21 when Junhui was 22, and running away from problems became a habit. 

 

2 more years passed by with the snap of a finger, and Minghao had already graduated from high school for a couple of years. He and Soonyoung worked as dance instructors, and it was a pleasant job with decent pay. Mingyu and Wonwoo had opened their own café while Chan was still finishing up his last year of high school.

 

Ever since the incident by the fountain that had triggered Minghao’s realisation that he was, in fact, in love with Junhui, he had never seen the other boy. Either Junhui never visited the campus, or he was just too busy to show his face, but Minghao never found out. He graduated without communicating with him, anyway. 

 

“Hey,” Soonyoung said one day as him and Minghao were packing up after dance lessons. “Are you going for the reunion party this weekend?”

 

Minghao frowned. “What party?”

 

“The reunion party for our batches,” Soonyoung reminded. “It’s held at some rich boy’s mansion. His name is Jisoo, or something. Anyway, are you going?”

 

Minghao contemplated. It would be good to meet up with all his old friends; he kind of missed them. “Yeah, okay.”

 

They made sure to get Mingyu and Wonwoo to come along too; Chan didn't want to since it would have been awkward for him to be the only college student, plus he had a huge test the next day. Minghao looked forward to the party, since he really wanted to catch up with all his friends, and it would feel like the old days before they were forced into the real world and had to get jobs. 

 

His only problem was whether Junhui would be there. It would have been really awkward if they accidentally bumped into each other, initiating a very uncomfortable conversation. It was kind of weird how someone you were once so close to could become someone you'd try to avoid at all costs. Whatever, Minghao thought. We probably won't even see each other. Junhui's probably too busy with his girlfriends to attend, anyway. 

 

But Junhui did turn up, and Minghao spotted him talking to some girls by the dance floor (this Jisoo was that rich, apparently), and he assumed Junhui had, again, broke up with all his other girlfriends as usual. Minghao made a mental note not to go near that side of the house, and instead wandered off with Soonyoung to find his friends and mainly the Mingyu-Wonwoo couple. 

 

"I'm going off to play Truth or Dare!" Soonyoung yelled over the reverberating bass of the music, and dashed off to one of the guest rooms where the game was hosted. 

 

Wonwoo finally detached himself from Mingyu in order to go over and catch up with a talented music major called Jihoon, leaving Minghao and his pouty boyfriend behind. 

 

"You can stop staring after Wonwoo-hyung like someone's going to steal him," Minghao said, giving Mingyu a look from the corner of his eyes. "He's an independent guy."

 

"You don't know that," Mingyu protested. 

 

"Wow, someone's a bit clingy today," Minghao teased, giving Mingyu a gentle punch to the shoulder. 

 

"They call me Clingyu," the taller boy joked, laughing at his own forced pun. "But for real though, I just always get this urge to protect him and... you know, be there for him all the time."

 

Minghao felt himself smile bitterly at the floor. "Yeah. I know that feeling." 

 

Mingyu seemed to read his mind, and nudged his side. "You know, Junhui-hyung's here today."

 

Minghao sighed, raising his eyebrows. Mingyu didn't have to remind him; he was trying to forget the existence of his childhood friend. 

 

"I know," Minghao replied simply. "I'm not going to say anything to him."

 

"Why not?" Mingyu gave him his ridiculous puppy pout. "Come on, I can tell you have the hots for him." 

 

Minghao looked away. "It's not like he likes me in the same way. Plus, we're practically strangers now. We don't talk at all."

 

Mingyu looked doubtful. "You sure? I think he still wants to be your friend. He's been looking at you across the room the whole night." 

 

Minghao snorted, then scanned the crowd for him. "Wow, that's believable. He's got no time to look at me, since he's chatting up all those girls—“ He stopped short when he made eye contact with Junhui, who was staring straight at him through a crack in the sea of people dancing. Minghao instantly turned away. 

 

"You see what I mean?" Mingyu said, having caught on. 

 

"Shut up," Minghao complained. "It was probably an accident or something. If he cared, he wouldn't have ignored me throughout high school and after graduation." 

 

Mingyu shrugged. "I think he likes you," he commented, and slunk away to join Wonwoo, who was stopped by an unfamiliar guy to talk. Minghao brushed Mingyu's words off. There was no way Junhui would like him. 

 

A few hours passed, and Minghao still hadn't touched any alcohol, somehow miraculously managing to convince Soonyoung not to either. He had dance lessons to teach the next day, and it wasn't going to be pretty if their students found him and Soonyoung both passed out on the couch with hangovers. Soonyoung was still playing that eternal game of Truth or Dare, while Wonwoo and Mingyu were off doing God knew what (Minghao didn't want to know, either). 

 

So Minghao was sat alone on a couch in Jisoo's living room (it was larger than the size of his apartment, what the hell) scrolling through Twitter and drinking punch. He made conversations with a few people he'd recognised, so he wasn't all too bored. The last thing he expected was a person to tackle him. 

 

“Junhui?” Minghao recognised, grunting as the older boy’s shifted his weight. “Get off me, you’re drunk.”

 

“Minghao,” Junhui breathed out slowly, wrapping his arms around the dancer’s waist and snuggling into his chest. Minghao _almost_ kicked him due to reflex, but opted to simply push him away with as much force as possible.

 

“Get off me,” Minghao said tiredly, and Junhui finally plopped on the sofa next to him.

 

“What are you doing here? Go back to flirting or whatever,” Minghao muttered before realising that he sounded like a jealous girlfriend. 

 

“Tired,” Junhui said, like he was a 2 year old. “I’m resting.”

 

Minghao sighed. If this was how immature he acted when he was drunk, he didn’t know how he even picked up girls in the first place. “Well, not on my lap.”

 

“I miss you a lot, Hao,” Junhui said softly, and Minghao’s heart almost stopped beating. He would never stop toying with his feelings unintentionally, would he?

 

“Shut up, you’re drunk,” Minghao said, turning away.

 

“Minghao,” Junhui whined again, tugging hard on his sleeve. “Look at me.”

 

And wow, he was getting as clingy as Mingyu was. Minghao rolled his eyes, and decided to just put up with Junhui for once. He looked back down at Junhui, who was still pulling at his clothes.

 

“What now—”

 

In that split instance, Junhui had leaned up just as Minghao turned to look down, and their lips touched. Minghao’s brain instantly melted, and all of the snarky remarks that he had intended to say were washed away while he sat there, relishing in a moment he would never get to experience ever again. He didn’t pull away, and neither did Junhui.

 

It wasn’t a deep kiss, but Minghao wasn’t sure how long they’d sat there in silence with their lips locked together. It wasn’t like he was going to push Junhui away now, but his heart silently shattered at the thought that Junhui had no idea what he was doing, and that the next morning, they would just be complete strangers again.

 

When Junhui finally separated from him, he slumped against Minghao and let out soft, quiet snores. It took a while for Minghao to process it, but his crush had just drunk-kissed him, then fell asleep halfway while doing so. What ridiculous timing he had. And no, Junhui snoozing on his lap with his lips slightly parted and blonde hair messy was not cute at all.

 

Minghao let out a huff, wondering when his life would ever _not_ be a disaster. He tried to slowly inch away in order not to wake Junhui up, but the older boy just tightened his grip on him and refused to let him go.

 

“Junhui…” Minghao whispered, exasperated. He just wanted to get away from his past. 

 

“Don’t go,” Junhui muttered in his sleep, and Minghao decided that he had to stay.

 

Listening to Junhui’s soft snores was like a lullaby, and Minghao felt himself slowly drift off to sleep on that couch too. His last thought was that he would never get a chance like this ever again.

 

When Minghao jolted awake, sunlight was streaming in from the windows and had casted onto his face. He shielded the light with a hand, and groaned at his legs that had fallen asleep. Upon looking down at his lap, the sight of Junhui staring back at him with an unfamiliar gaze in his still sleepy eyes shocked him.

 

“Minghao?” Junhui said, rubbing his eyes but still refusing to sit up. “What… happened?”

 

Minghao kept silent, internally smacking himself for getting his hopes up that Junhui would have ever remembered what went on the night before.

 

“Why am I on your lap?” Junhui went on.

 

Silence. Minghao cursed at himself.

 

“Minghao…?” Junhui reached a hand up to caress Minghao’s face gently, and he flinched at the contact. Minghao couldn’t stand it anymore, and pushed Junhui off of him roughly and onto the polished wooden floor with a loud thump.

 

“Don’t come near me, Wen Junhui,” Minghao nearly yelled at him. “You ruin everything.”

 

And with that, he dashed out of the room and out the main door, not even bothering to stop to answer Junhui’s frantic calls or look for his friends. 

 

_He ruined it,_ Minghao thought, his brain conjuring a mantra that replayed over and over as he flagged a taxi down to get home, get away from that place as quickly as possible. _He ruined our friendship, my feelings, my ability to control myself from liking him. It’s ruined._

 

_VII._

 

Minghao isn't any older when Junhui confronted him about what happened, but it did feel like an eternity had passed before they met again. 

 

Minghao walked up the steps to his apartment after a day of dance lessons, intending to just get home and flop on his bed. He was tired, especially since he had gone through that horrible party. He should have never gone if he had known that it would end up like this, getting kissed by his oblivious drunk crush. 

 

However, when he walked out of the stairwell and towards his front door, he saw a familiar figure sitting on the steps leading up to his apartment. It was Junhui, who had his head buried in his knees as he sat there, waiting.

 

_What the actual hell_ , Minghao thought. He had ridiculous timing. If only he had just stayed home the whole day, lying that he had a hangover. Then again, he really needed the money.

 

Minghao decided that he was in no mood to interact with Junhui, let alone see him. He attempted to sneak past him, but it was hard to on the narrow steps. Like all his other plans, this one failed, and Junhui looked up immediately at him, letting out a soft, relieved “Minghao.”

 

Minghao ignored him, and stared at his door as he fished around his pocket for his key. Junhui scrambled to stand up, and rested a hand on his shoulder. “Minghao, can we talk?”

 

The dancer flinched and shrugged him off roughly. “I don’t think there’s anything that needs to be said. And how the hell did you find my apartment?” He continued digging. Since when was his pocket so deep?

 

“I asked Soonyoung,” Junhui explained hastily “But that’s not the point—”

 

Minghao made a mental reminder to punch Soonyoung in the face the next time he saw the boy. He couldn’t seem to find his keys (maybe he’d left them at Jisoo’s house in his hurry to get home? Shit.), so he turned and walked back towards the stairwell. If he called, Mingyu might let him stay over at his house for the night. He would have to put up with his and Wonwoo’s cheesiness, but he would rather suffer through that than stay stranded outside his apartment with the person he least wanted to see right now. 

 

If Mingyu wouldn’t let him, then he would go to Soonyoung’s, and give him that punch early. Minghao sped up his pace. 

 

“Wait! Minghao!” Junhui rushed after him, and Minghao kind of forgot that he was one of the graduates who topped their class in sports. He spun the shorter boy around, who turned to glare at him.

 

“What, Junhui?” Minghao choked out. He wasn’t in the mood to speak to him, especially after what had happened the night before.

 

“What happened at the party last night?” Junhui asked, and Minghao stared, because, wow, could anyone be so dense?

 

“Nothing,” Minghao deadpanned, deciding to make use of his obliviousness to his advantage. It would be better if Junhui went on without knowing what happened, anyway.

 

“We kissed, didn’t we?” And okay, so Junhui was just a walking juxtaposition now.

 

"Since you already know that, there's nothing more for me to say," Minghao scoffed and turned to go again.

 

Junhui's grip on his arm tightened. "So your childhood friend, moreover a guy, just kissed you and you don't have anything to say?"

 

"We weren't friends since 4 years ago," Minghao hissed, tugging at Junhui's vice grip. "And I don't care, since you were drunk as shit last night."

 

"What if I didn't kiss you because I was really drunk?"

 

"Huh?" Minghao squinted at him. 

 

"What if I kissed you because I was in love with you?" Junhui asked, his eyes piercing into Minghao's challengingly.

 

"You're not gay," Minghao immediately replied, because that was one of the most ridiculous things he had heard. Junhui, a player and probably having dated over 50 girls, liked guys? No. It was a joke. 

 

Junhui flinched at the last word, but his gaze and stance remained undeterred. "I hate labels, but I think I'm in love with you, Minghao." 

 

What. The hell. 

 

Minghao couldn't even think of a good comeback line, and just stared at the older boy, completely frozen. His brain had just malfunctioned from attempting to process the words he had spoken. Junhui's hand slackened a little under his gaze, and Minghao instinctively pulled away and stepped back slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. 

 

"That's a lie," Minghao said. "This must be very funny, making fun of my sexuality, but it's not a joke."

 

"It's not a lie. I thought I'd always been in love with you since I was 16,” Junhui confessed. "I was conflicted about whether I really felt that way, but after last night I know I'm in love with you."

 

"What the hell," Minghao said, and that was all that he could choke out. 

 

"It's not a lie," Junhui repeated. "Believe me." 

 

"Then why the hell would you have ignored me for all these years?" Minghao yelled, getting more frustrated. "You're an asshole, Wen Junhui, telling me this now when we're nothing more than strangers."

 

"I know," Junhui said. “But I was really confused about my own feelings. I didn’t know if I was… gay? Or if it was just that we were really close friends.”

 

“For 6 years,” Minghao said slowly. “When you could have just told me.”

 

Junhui looked at him with remorse. “Minghao, I didn’t know if you were going to be accepting of me. I was... afraid, that you would just stop talking to me and we would stop being friends.”

 

Minghao kept silent. Junhui was no longer holding on to him, so why wasn’t he moving away?

 

"Well, avoiding me throughout high school produced the exact same result. I hope you're happy,”he finally said.

 

"I'm not,” Junhui admitted. “Which is why I'm here to tell you that I am in love with you. I have been, since years ago. It didn't matter how many girls or how long we hadn't spoken. My mind was always on you.”

 

Minghao stared. How was it possible that Junhui was actually returning his feelings? Maybe he was still having a hangover.

 

"You could have just kept your feelings to yourself,” Minghao said after a long pause. “Why did you have to tell me?” _I would have been fine going on without confessing to you, and holding back forever, as long as you were happy. So_ why?

 

“Because…" Junhui visibly swallowed. “I realised I couldn't stand it if you started dating another girl. And I think I'd rather ruin our friendship than never try to tell you my true feelings. Minghao... I'm sorry.”

 

His hands were shaking, and voice cracked. Minghao felt his heart drop at Junhui’s nervousness. “I should have come clean a long time ago. I'm sorry for drifting away from you all these years instead of just telling you, causing us to become like this. But if you hate me, can we at least go back to being friends? I honestly miss the years when we spent all our time together."

 

“…You idiot,” Minghao muttered, trying not to let tears prick his eyes at the words that Junhui said; words that he himself had always wanted to express, but never did. “How do you think I felt when every single day, you'd go out with a different girl and ignore my presence?”

 

"I just thought that… maybe if I spent less time with you and more with them, I'd get rid of my feelings for you, but that obviously just didn't work,” Junhui explained, stepping closer to Minghao and grabbing his hand.

 

"So you decided to drunk-kiss me,” Minghao reasoned, trying not to think about how their hands fit together so nicely.

 

"I was not that drunk,” Junhui protested quietly. “And I'm sorry— I knew you would have found it disgusting. Your childhood friend, pining over you since we were kids.” Junhui looked like he was going to give up on Minghao, and they would return to just being strangers. While Minghao would have been fine with that in the past, he wasn’t going to let that happen now that he knew Junhui’s true feelings.

 

“Well, what if... I was also... in love with you?” Minghao asked. His brain was nearly short circuiting, like: _Oh, God, I actually said it._

 

Junhui’s eyes widened slowly. “You are?"

 

Minghao nodded. ”It took me a long time, but I finally realised why I've always been trying to stay strong and protect you. It was because…” he started to sniffle as his vision became blurry. “I was always in love with you." 

 

Hot tears ran down his flushed cheeks, but it was out of relief that after all these years of holding back, he was finally able to admit his feelings. Minghao didn’t care that he was making a fool of himself outside the dorms, but he didfeel slightly embarrassed to be crying in front of the person whom he said he would always stay strong in front of.

 

"Minghao!" said boy felt strong arms wrap around his body, and pull him into his embrace. It was warm, and it was a comfortable feeling that he hadn't experienced in over a decade. Minghao snuggled up against Junhui instinctively, letting his tears continue to flow silently. 

 

"I'm sorry for making you cry," Junhui said softly, and Minghao could feel his chest vibrate as he spoke. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything?" 

 

Minghao threw a weak punch at his shoulder. "Shut up, stop apologising. I'm just... I should have ... made more efforts to talk to you too. I was just— so scared—you were always with girls—“ he started hiccuping, and pulled away to cover his mouth, face flushed red. Sometimes he hated his body. 

 

"It's okay. I'm here now," Junhui assured, brushing his hair away from his eyes gently. "I love you, you know," he said again, like he knew Minghao wouldn't believe him when he said it.

 

Minghao looked away momentarily, not knowing if he should blatantly confess with three words that held infinite meaning to them. Then he turned back and looked Junhui straight in the eyes, his own still glistening with tears. "I love you, too."

 

Junhui smiled, and Minghao felt like he had fallen for him all over again. 

 

"You're not kidding?" Minghao asked. 

 

Junhui looked hurt. "Why would I ever joke about something like this?"

 

Minghao pawed at his eyes. "So you can... laugh about it with jerks like Seungcheol."

 

Junhui let out a deep breath, and ran a hand through his hair. Minghao suddenly felt an urge to try it too. "I don't even know why I chose to hang out with him. Maybe I thought that I would stop liking you if I joined their homophobic group. I'm an idiot."

 

Despite it all, Minghao scoffed at his immature thinking. "You are. And you owe my friends an apology."

 

“I know," Junhui agreed, his smile returning. 

 

Then Minghao realised that they were in extremely close proximity, and stepped back, suddenly feeling awkward for having cried into Junhui's shirt till it was wet. Like a magnet, Junhui followed him closely. They had mutually confessed, but now what? Minghao had zero dating experience, but he had to know what both of them were. Still friends? Or would they go back to being strangers? 

 

"What are we?” he asked, voice suddenly low and quiet.

 

Junhui pulled him in. ”Whatever you want us to be.”

 

"Together forever?” Minghao said, recalling a certain childhood promise.

 

“Of course,” Junhui beamed, leaning in and letting his eyes flicker down Minghao’s lips. “You said you would protect me forever, right?”

 

Minghao nodded mutely, too stunned and caught up in the moment to be able to reply. Junhui remembered their promise, and that was all he cared about. Well, that and the fact that they were going to kiss.

 

“Don’t forget,” Junhui muttered, and they were literally _centimetres_ apart.

 

“I never did,” Minghao replied firmly, and this time it was him to close the gap between them.

 

_VIII._

 

Minghao was finally 23 when Junhui was 24 and life seems less complex now when they stuck together. 

 

Minghao found himself awoken by his boyfriend in their shared apartment, feeling a strange sense of deja vu. He responded when he heard Junhui call his name in a soft tone that he knew now was reserved solely for him, and nestled into his touch when Junhui brushed his hair out of his eyes for him.

 

"Minghao," Junhui said again, gently. "Wake up." He pressed a light kiss to Minghao's forehead, and the sleepy dancer instantly opened his eyes at the intimate contact, only to be greeted by the sight Junhui kneeling by their bedside, smiling at him like he was the sun. 

 

"Oh, Junnie, you're back," Minghao greeted in Chinese as he rubbed his eyes and sat up. He always switched back to their native language whenever his brain wasn't functioning properly, and he always found it really embarrassing even though Junhui assured him that it was adorable.

 

Junhui looked on. "Tired?"

 

Minghao nodded. "Yeah, I stayed up all night yesterday to choreograph a new dance with Soonyoung-hyung and Chan." 

 

"Well, I bought takeout today from that restaurant down the road. Hope you don't mind?" Junhui said, standing up and offering a hand to Minghao. 

 

"It's fine," Minghao said, getting off the bed with Junhui's help. "I like their food." 

 

Junhui opened his mouth to reply, then raised it in a smirk that Minghao secretly thought was really attractive, but he knew that it always came with teasing remarks. 

 

"I didn't know you missed me that much, wearing my shirt when I'm gone," Junhui said, and _oh crap_ , Minghao realised that he had accidentally changed into one of Junhui's sweaters when he was out at work. 

 

Minghao stepped back, his cheeks slowly flushing. "It was an accident, I swear." 

 

Junhui's smirk only widened. "Keep it. I like the look." 

 

Minghao rolled his eyes, but closed up the gap between them so that they were joined at the hip. "I won't ever wear it again," he lied, because he would never tell Junhui that his scent managed to lull him to sleep in seconds, and he always felt the most comfortable around that of Junhui's. 

 

They relaxed on the couch together with Minghao relaxing in Junhui's embrace as they chewed on their food, enjoying horribly comedic Chinese talent shows. It was simple moments like these that Minghao treasured most, for it was then that he felt like they were really intimate. 

 

Junhui suddenly reached over to grab the remote, and turned the volume down. Minghao looked up at him curiously. 

 

The older boy smiled contentedly as he stared at their intertwined hands, making Minghao blush.

 

"What?" he grumbled, hating how Junhui always made him flustered. 

 

"Nothing. I just can't believe we've been together for 2 years," Junhui stated simply, and Minghao let out a gasp when he realised that he had forgotten their very special day.

 

"Shit!" he cursed, twisting to give Junhui an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Junnie, I can't believe I forgot our anniversary date because of work— I'll make it up, I promise, what do you want?"

 

"It's fine," Junhui assured. "I know you've been busy with dance and all."

 

"I'm so sorry," Minghao repeated, feeling awful. "What do you want? I'll get it for you." 

 

Junhui tilted his head as he thought about it, then sighed and smiled. "I already have everything I need." 

 

Minghao frowned. "You do?"

 

"Yeah." Junhui ruffled his hair with a hand, making Minghao lean into his touch. "I have you," he said, in a very cliché manner. 

 

Minghao scowled at his sweet talk. "Stop fooling around." 

 

"I'm serious," Junhui said, staring into his eyes. "For all these years, I've been chasing after so many things without realising that what I needed was right in front of me all along."

 

"Fine," Minghao grumbled, his cheeks dusted pink. "You're always so cheesy, it's annoying. Is this how you picked up girls in high school?"

 

"Maybe," Junhui said, his mouth curled up into a smirk. "Jealous?" He slung an arm around Minghao. "Don't worry, the only person I really meant it for is you.”

 

“Love you too,” Minghao replied with a smile.

 

Junhui looked serious all of a sudden. “Hao, would you ever consider… dating someone else?”

 

“What?”

 

“Like… be in a relationship with someone other than me?”

 

Minghao stared at him curiously. Ever since they’d gotten together, Junhui had not shown any signs of insecurity until now. It was a new feeling, seeing Junhui get worried about their future. “Of course not,” Minghao said, tightening his grip on Junhui’s hand as if to say, _hey, I’ll always be here with you._ “Since we were kids, you were always the only one for me.”

 

Junhui beamed, then reached into his pocket and pulled something out that made Minghao let out a surprised squeak. On his palm lay a pair of solid white metal rings. There were no diamonds, or crystals, or had anything engraved on them, but they were the most beautiful rings Minghao had ever seen, and he knew what Junhui’s intentions were. 

 

“Junnie—” Minghao started to say, but Junhui stopped him.

 

“I know this is probably the worst place to say it, in a crappy apartment with greasy takeout food and terrible comedy shows playing on TV, but I love you, Xu Minghao, and I want to stay with you for the rest of my life. We can’t get married in a church, but let’s make this house our own little chapel, with our vows all the promises we agreed to keep over the years, these rings being proof of our love,” Junhui proposed, not once breaking their eye contact.

 

Minghao let out a breath he had been holding, and pulled Junhui in for a tight hug, almost making him drop their precious rings. “Of course I’ll stay with you forever,” he promised, and pulled back slightly such that they were bumping foreheads. “Was this the reason for your insecurity just now? You already know I love you.”

 

“I know,” Junhui said with a gentle laugh, and he broke their contact to slide the ring onto Minghao’s last finger. “I just wanted to hear you say it.”

 

“That’s new,” Minghao said, since rings were usually worn on their fourth finger.

 

Junhui rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly shy. “It reminded me of how we used to link our pinkies when we were younger to make promises, and there’s a promise we made when we were kids that I want to keep forever.”

 

_Cute,_ Minghao thought, snuggling up against him and lifting his hand to admire his promise ring under the evening light. “Which one?” 

 

“That we’d be together forever,” Junhui said, and Minghao wasn’t looking at him, but he could tell that he was nervous, maybe that Minghao had forgotten that promise they’d made 15 years ago.

 

He could never.

 

“Me too,” Minghao agreed, wondering how they had come this far.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i hope it was nice hehe it took me a while to finally get the scenes exactly how i wanted them. (especially confession scene omg) 
> 
> ps: i bet a lot of you hate me for making cheol, hansol and kwan the bad guys. OOPS


End file.
